Apparatus for processing the contents of sealed cans



May 26, 1942. E. c. EBERTS 2,284,269

APPARATUS FOR PEOCESSING THE CONTENTS'OF SEALED CANS Filed March 11,1938 2 Shejs-Sheeh l 2; i wi l i E @f 0- @E J F INIfENTOR. flare/J 6'.25501 10,

ATTORNEYS.

May 26,1942. E. c. EB ERTS 2,234,259 "APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING THECONTENTS OF SEALED QANS V Filed March 11, 19:8 K 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I lINVENTOR.

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ATTORNEYS.

Patented May APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING THE CQNTENTS OF SEALED CAN EdwardC. Eberts, Indianapolis, Ind., assignor to Stokely Brothers & Company,Inc., apolis, Ind.,a corporation of, Indiana Indian- Application March11, 1938, Serial No. 195,247

x 2 Claims. (01. 126-272) The object of my invention is to provide animproved method of and apparatus for heat transfer to or from thecontents of a sealed package whereby the time required for the essentialheat transfer may be materially shortened. My improved process andapparatus is primarily designed for dealing with com'estibles having asubstantial water content but is not necessarily limited to comestibles.

It has long been generally recognized, in the canning art, that it 'ishighly desirable to heat penetrate the entire contents of a can asrapidly as possible and to that end many devices have been heretoforeprovided with the idea thatthey would operate to agitate the contents ofthe can,

during the application of the necessary heat, in

such manner as to reduce the time required to bring the central portionsof the can contents up to the desired sterilization temperature beforethe outer portions of the contents of the can become overheated or havebeen subjected to heat for an undesirable length of time.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my .in-

vention:

Fig. 1 is an end elevation of an embodiment of my apparatus; f

Fig. 2 is a vertical section axially of one of the can rotators;

Fig, 3 is an elevation of another form of can rotator; V

Fig. 4 is a transverse section of one form of improved can;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section of another form of improved can; and 4Figs. 6 and '7 are side elevations on a smaller scale, of the structuresshown in Figs. 4 and 5.

It has heretofore beenthought that, if a filled can be rolled on itsside during the period of heat transfer, the contents of the can, beingan agglomeration of small particles, or liquids, or

' semi-liquid, will be agitated and mixed in such manner as to hastenthe transfer of heat through the body of the can to thecontents. If thecan be rotated about its axis and the contents be in a fluid orsemi-fluid condition,

short of a very sluggish mush, thecan slips around the content. at leastin the early stages lasts only for a moment or two, whereupon re-' ofrotation. and, therefore, thereis but little agitation of the contentsduring much of the rolling transportation of the can. i

I have discovered, however, that, if a can of proper form be rotatedabout its own axis fairly 'rapidly for a short time, and then besuddenly stopped or materially reduced in rotative speed, the content ofth can will immediately become turbulent, the amount of turbulence beingdependent upon the character of the internal surface of the can and thevariations in speed of rotation.

My improved method, therefore, consists fundamentally of alternate rapidrotations and sudden stoppages, or substantial reductions, of rotationsof the can, preferably about the axis of a cylindrical can andwithoutlateral displacement of the can axis, during the necessary period ofheat transfer. In the case of heat sterilization, this will involve thealternate rotation variations of the can during the heatingperiod and,desirably, a similar treatment of the can during the cooling period,whereas, in the case of freezing, the method would involve only thealternate rotation variations during that period of heat extractionwhich will bring thecontents just to the freezing point, just beforemobility of the contents ceases.

While my above-described improved method may be used, with some degreeof advantage, in

connection with smooth interior cans of-the present type, to quitematerially reduce the necessary heat-transfer period, I have found thatvery striking reductions in time of the necessary heat-transfer periodwill be obtained by providing a modification of the interiorof the can.Two such modifications are illustrated in Figs.

4 to '7 hereof. In Fig. 4, I show, in cross section,

a cylindrical can C the main cylindrical wall of which is provided atone end with an internally-projecting lip L which projects spirallytoward the axis of the can for a short distance. The amount of thisprojection is not great and I have found that about half an inch is veryeffective. l

When a filled can is rotated about its cylindrical axis for a short timein the direction indicated by the arrow, and then suddenly stopped, orreduced to relatively slow rotation, the fluid or semi-fluid contents ofthe can immediately be come turbulent, the outer portions of thecontents striking the lip and being deflected thereby toward the axis ofthe can. turbulence rotation of the can about its axis should -be.

uniform temperaturechange in' the contents,

- In Fig. 5 I have shown, incross section, a can. I

in which the main body, atone point, has been inwardly indented to forma ribR which, when utilized in the performance of my method. causessimilar turbulence of the contents.

The internal projections in the can may be set at an angle to the canaxis, preferably in opposite directions from the middle of the length ofthe can. as indicated in "Figs. 6 and 7, so that they serve to directthe turbulent contents toward the can ends and thus cause the contentsto sweep across the canends.

I have found that, by the practice of my above-described method. I havebeen able, in the heat-processing of canned fruit Juices, peas, andcorn, to reduce the heat-processing time to a very considerable extent.I

It will, of course. be understood that various types of apparatus may beprovided to facilitate the practice of my above-described method. onetype of said apparatus being shown in the present drawings, wherein someadvantages are attained by reason of the fact that the cans may becaused to traverse the apparatus axially andwithout lateral displacementof the can axis. In this apparatus. 1- provide a plurality of parallelshafts ll. each provided with a,,plurality obaxialiy spaced cylindricalportion; II which rotate with the shaft, and a plurality of intermediatecylindrical portions I2 within which the shaft rotates. therebyproviding a plurality of longitudinal can-supporting crotchesor.cradles. The

shafts are rotated in the same directlonby suitable driving means J3 sothat the cans in any one crotch will be rotated: about theirlongitudinal axes. Instead of the non-rotative portions l2, fixedopposed guides l2' may be arlower speed rotation or stoppages.

crutches. When the cans are in contact with the rotating portions ii ofthe shafts. they are rotated about their longitudinal axes, and when thecans lie upon the non-rotating portions l2, they are suddenly stopped.as to rotation about their axes, although their longitudinal progressmay be uninterrupted. andthe contents of the cans areturbulated,.thereby assisting in transferring the outer portions of thecontents toward the center of the can. i

In Fig. 8 the can-supporting andv rotating shafts are continuous andvariations of speed of can rotation may be obtainedby means of a drivinggear such as is shown in Fig. 1, wherein the clutch mechanism It may beutilized to obtain alternate high speed rotation and either The enforcedturbulation of the contents of x the can insures rapid heat-transfer toor from ranged to bridge thqgaps between adjacent ends of shaftportionsll.

An endless conveyor it arranged above and parallel with eachcan-supporting crotch is provided with fingers II arranged to engage thecans, J either individually or in longitudinal groups, so as totransport said cans axially along the crotches formed by the shafts.

For heat-processing, I provide, over an initial portion of the shaftsfor an appropriate length,

wan-heating means It which may be either in the form of a steam chamberor a hot spray chamber; and over a portion of the shafts following theheating zone, I provide a cooling zone II which may be either in theform of a refrigerating chamber or a cooling spray. I

In operation. the filled'and sealed cans are placed in the crotchrunways formed by alternate pairs cr -shafts, and parts carried thereby,

and are transported longitudinally of those said contents. In heatpreservation. the consequent reduction of time required forsterilization results in a much higher grade of product with .much lessdeterioration of color and flavor. Fruit Juices may be preserved by thismethod, either by heat sterilization or byAuick freezing,

' in much less time than heretofore. with a consequent improvement incolor and flavor.

The term "cans is used herein as synonymous with packages.

I claim as my. invention:

1. Apparatus for handling substantially cylindrical charged cans,comprising 'a recumbent can guide along which the, cans may betransported axially, said guide comprising a series of means spacedlongitudinally of the guide by which said cans may be intermittentlyrotated about their axes while moving axially along said guide, andmeans for propelling said cans axially along the guide, the spacing ofsaid spaced means being such that the cans will not be rotated as theypass from one to another.

2. Apparatus for handling substantially cylindrical charged cans.comprising aligned pairs of axis.

EDWARD C. EBERIS.

